Failure to Thrive
by Dazed Ryo
Summary: A loss of will...a loss of life.


Their first clue was when the crying stopped. Many of the helpers at the orphanage didn't take note of the sudden silence. They were used to ignoring _that _particular room anyways.

A few did notice. They were the ones who were in charge of feeding and changing the source of the crying. Though they did notice, none cared. In fact, they were grateful. It made their jobs easier to get done and made ignoring the burden a piece of cake.

The second clue came in the form of absolute silence. Whilst the crying had been the first to stop, gargled attempts at talking had remained. The unintelligible chatter lessened with each day of being ignored, however, until one day only silence remained.

Once more, this was ignored by most and enjoyed by few. There were many children at the orphanage after all and every single one of them made noises of some sort. What did the workers care that one voice had silenced when there were so many more to listen to? So many more important ones at that.

The third clue that came was the last. Whilst many children enjoyed their meals, one refused to eat at all. When mealtime came, he would refuse to eat. One of his caregivers (a term used very loosely) went to see the matron of the orphanage a couple of days into this newest behavior. She complained about the food being wasted and how the child refused to cooperate.

The matron, an older woman who held a special sort of hatred for this particular boy, informed the irritated worker that she would summon a doctor if the behavior continued. Both parties satisfied, that was the end of that.

A few days passed and the behavior did indeed continue. However, no doctor was ever summoned. It seemed almost as if the matron had forgotten all about her promise. The worker who talked with her never brought it up, assuming it would be taken care of.

It wasn't until three more days had passed that something was done. A young man with silver, gravity defying hair had recently come back from a very long mission. On that mission, he had come to accept a few things. One of them being his sensei's untimely death at the claws of a vicious demon. Having come to terms with this, the young man desired just one thing: to see his sensei's only child.

He went to see the village leader, the Hokage, not only to turn in his mission report but to also arrange a visit to the orphanage. The Hokage, an old man way past retirement age, agreed and decided to tag along as well. He hadn't been able to see the boy since a few days after his birth. A visit was long overdue.

So both men took the short walk from the Hokage Tower to the orphanage. They were led to the young boy's room by a suspiciously nervous looking worker. At first they figured it was simply being in the Hokages presence. Upon entering the dark room and looking in at the young boy, they quickly discovered otherwise. The object of their visit was severely malnourished. Small ribs were easily seen and cheeks were beginning to sink in. Horrible bags lay under his eyes and the eyes themselves were dull. Once vibrant blue eyes filled with curiosity and wonder were now empty, void of any emotion.

The boy was rushed to the hospital and medics set to work on the boy at their leaders command. Not twenty minutes later, a doctor left the operating room to confront the two shaken men. With a small sigh and a shake of the head, he began informing the two of a condition known as Failure to Thrive.

After being only given the basic care and being deprived of any form of positive affection, the young boy had quite simply lost the will to live. People, especially young children, need and crave someone to hold and to love them. To pay attention to them. After 18 months of being alone, the boy gave up. Now, he would be lucky to survive the night.

The Hokage and the young man stayed by the young boys side that night, holding his hands and talking to him softly. Tears were shed that night, for the baby who lost his parents and never got the chance to find love elsewhere. For a child whose spark was destroyed before the Will of Fire could even hope to form.

True to the doctor's word, at 3:36 that morning, the young child breathed his last breath and left this world. Very few were informed of his death and fewer attended the boys funeral.

Years later, Konoha falls victim to an invasion. And while screams fill the air and blood is shed by a bloodthirsty jinchuriki, a headstone stands in a small graveyard. It's small in size, easy to glance over. Despite this, it is obviously well taken care of. Engraved in the stone are the words:

_Naruto Uzumaki_

_A child who never knew love_

_but was loved dearly._

_Oct. 10, xxxx – Apr. 13, xxxx_


End file.
